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Also: |
Aix Itineraries |
Aix Martigue Itinerary |
Aix St-Remy Itinerary |
Aix Verdon Itinerary |
Aix Historic NE |
Aix-en-Provence Historic Itinerary Northwest |
Aix Historic S |
Aix Historic SE |
This itinerary visits six villages south of Aix-en-Provence. The route is a loop, with a total distance of 53 km (about 1h35 driving time).
Route Map
Route. [10 km, 19 min]
Depart Aix-en-Provence south, via Ave des Belges and Ave Pierre Brossolette, on the N8 (now the D8n); southwest via Luynes and La Mounine to Bouc-Bel-Air.
Bouc-Bel-Air
An ancient fortified village, typically Provençal. Romanesque church Saint-André; 12th-c Chapelle Notre-Dame de l'Espérance; Chapelle Sainte-Anne (even older than the village); chateau in the center; the 18th-c Albertas gardens.
Location: 8 km south of Aix-en-Provence; 5 km west of Gardanne.
Route. [5 km, 9 min]
West on the D60, south on the N8, west on the D60a to Cabriès. Cabriès
A fortified Provençal village with ancient ramparts and portes, perched on a low chalk cliff. Restored 15th-16th-century chateau, with 18th-c chapel. Romanesque 12th-c Saint-Raphaël church. 12th-c Chateau de Trébillane has visits by reservation.
Location: 10 km southwest of Aix-en-Provence; 3 km southwest of Bouc-Bel-Air; 15 km north of Marseille center.
Route. [6 km, 12 min]
Go east from the center, onto the Route de Violesi and continue to Simiane-Collongue. Simiane-Collongue
Small village on the northern slope of small hills with narrow ancient streeets. The chateau built in 1773, once the Bastide des Champs of the Marquis de Simiane, is now the Mairie (town hall). Main square with fountains and shady platanes. 18th-c Saint-Pierre church. On the hill above is a large rock with a tower called the Tour de l'Horloge and the remains of a 12th-c castrum
Location: 10 km due south of Aix-en-Provence; 4 km southwest of Gardanne.
Route. [7 km, 11 min]
Head east on the D8, Route de Simiane, to Mimet. Mimet
An interesting little Medieval perched village (the highest in the Bouches-du-Rhône), below the more ancient oppidum Teste de l'Oste (4th-c BC), first fortified in the Iron Age. A restored chateau in the center. Clock tower with a campanile. 10th-century Eglise de la Transfiguration, rebuilt in the 16th-17th-c, with two wooden santons. The 18th-c Notre-Dame des Anges Monastery is just over the ridge, 2km southwest; on the 18th-c pilgrimage route, 6 of the original oratories remain.
Location: Small village 14 km southeast of Aix-en-Provence; 5 km southeast of Gardanne.
Route. [5 km, 10 min]
Go northeast on Rue de Pergine, cross the D8, continue northeast on Chemin de Rigoni/D46g to Gréasque. Gréasque
An ancient village with a Ligurian and Gallo-Roman history, that became a coal mining town. The 17th-century chateau in the center was built by the Ollières and inhabited by the Marquis de Castellane. Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur church rebuilt in 1770 and 1846. The nearby Puits Hély d'Oissel is a famous mine that now houses a mine museum.
Location: 14 km southeast of Aix-en-Provence; 6 km southeast of Gardanne.
Route. [8 km, 14 min]
Northwest from the center of Gréasque on Ave Ferdinand Arnaud (D46a); in 2.5 km go left (northwest) on Route de Gardanne, to Gardanne. Gardanne
Large town with a Medieval vieille ville of narrow streets and a lovely tree-shaded cours. On the Colline du Cativel above the town, a 16th-century mill sits on the site of the 11th-c castrum. Remains of the 14th-century ramparts. A 1901 monumental fountain. 18th-c Chapelle des Pénitents and the old 18th-c Chapelle St-Valentin. House where Cézanne lived 1885-86.
Location: 8 km southeast of Aix-en-Provence, 15 km north of Marseille.
Route. [12 km, 19 min]
Go north, through La Mounine and bear right (northeast) on the D8n (old N8), via Luynes, to Aix-en-Provence.
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